Baird makes no promises on Canadian Forces’ cluster bomb use

OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says he’s open to hearing from critics of the government’s much-maligned bill that would ratify Canada’s participation in the international treaty to ban deadly cluster bombs.

But Baird made no promises he would back down from a contentious clause that would allow the Canadian Forces to be involved in the use of cluster bombs in joint operations with the United States, which has opted out of the convention.

That so-called interoperability clause has opened Canada to a wide range of criticism from across Canada and the world, including the normally neutral International Committee of the Red Cross.

Last month, at a major international meeting of states who are parties to the cluster bomb convention, Canada faced a renewed round of calls to amend what was called a flawed bill, to close the loophole.